Hacking and Phishing
Account Hacking Although Newgrounds is relatively secure for a site with such a high profile, occasionally accounts have been hacked. Newgrounds is not easy to attack by brute force, since multiple attempts to give wrong passwords result in the account locking, However,password information can be gained by phishing, such as creating a website that would attract people who are interested in Newgrounds and using it to get passwords, in the hope that the user users the same password on Newgrounds. Another known method is to create a bogus account, such as a bogus Newgrounds Bot or an account that looks like that of an admin then using it to ask for info such as passwords. Bedn One infamous incident of this was when Bedn logged a moderator's password on his site and used it to cause trouble on Newgrounds. Bedn is known to have hacked the StrawberryClock account. Dobio Another less dramatic case was in this thread, when Dobio convinced another user multiple times to give his password away through manipulation. This was not malicious, it was purely for comedic effect, but it is a good example of how easily these things can happen to people who aren't wary. The Duck Division The Duck Division created a notorious hack on Newgrounds when they created a bogus account which looked just like that of an admin. They used info to hack a Moderator and caused havoc on the Art Portal, deleting submissions etc. One of the reasons their hack is so well known is that details of the hack were posted on the Duck Division website. Some time after the hacking, the Duck Division were completely removed from Newgrounds by Newgrounds admin. Canas 2011 Review moderator Canas had his account hacked on the 25th of August 2011. Many people were 'permanently' review banned and whistles were reduced for many people. Wade reversed the bans shortly after, and de-modded Canas. The hacker's "work" was largely undone on the same day and people who have had their reviews deleted are free to put them back if they wish. Tom explained what happened in his post and various people related their experiences and reactions. Soup Squad Deny connection The Soup Sqaud, a small flash crew which came to prominance at this time appeared to be connected with "Canas 2011". Their name was put in some of the review bans and their seemed to be some connection with the reviews deleted and Soup Squad. However, the Soup Squad deny any involvement and it is known that they were suffering from impersonation and attack at that time. Nothing about the work of the official Soup Squad crew would suggest that they are disruptive. Fixing the Problem The admin of Newgrounds can usually get to the bottom of hacking if they are informed, though it may take time and work to prove who is who and what is what and damage may be done that cannot be undone. It is better not to get hacked in the first place: Secure Yourself There are simple ways to reduce the risk of getting hacked: * Don't give your passwords out to someone you don't know- as Dobio proved, some people would do that. People don't need your password to help you or do things with you/for you. * Beware of people making unusual requests and asking for password information. * Do NOT use short, simple passwords- and never use passwords that relate to obvious information about you. ESPECIALLY don't use an easy password for the e-mail account that relates to your other passwords- otherwise, if they phish/hack that password, they can ask all your websites to send a new password to the e-mail account and pick them all up there. * If you are making a password specially for Newgrounds, don't use anything too close to the word Newgrounds- its an obvious thing for a hacker to try. * Do NOT use the same password for everything, otherwise if they get one password, they have them all * Do not wind people up. Just because someone is annoying you, you don't have to argue with them and tempt them into trying to get you back for it. Category:Newgrounds Features